Today, the Olea Estate is home to an increasing number of olive trees that all four generations tend to and work hard to keep alive through droughts and freezes.Basiloperama We hand pick the olives only when they are ripe on the tree, transport them straight to the village spigot a couple of miles down the road, wash them thoroughly and cold press them. Only olive oil from the first press makes it to the glass and tin containers of Olea, where the rich, full flavor of the oil remains sealed for you to enjoy. There are no preservatives, additives, colors or any kind of foreign oil added to Olea. We do not further refine byproducts of the first press to produce more oil.

Here is the most important part of the process: Even 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil like this will be cloudy right off the press. This is because it contains tiny particles of olive flesh and skin that remain in the oil during the pressing process.

These particles have to be removed, to ensure a uniform clarity and no cloudiness. To get rid of these particles all mass produced olive oil goes through a filtering process that separates these particles from the oil or eliminates them using chemical treatment. Along with the particles goes some of the olive flavor and nutrients.

At Olea we patiently use a natural process to retain the full olive oil flavor but still guarantee the clarity of filtered olive oil. We seal the olive oil in stainless steel tanks and let it sit idle for 60 days in special temperature and humidity conditions. During this time the particulate matter naturally settles to the bottom of the tank. After two months we extract the olive oil from the top of the tank and ship directly to the USA. Of course, this is not possible for mass produced olive oil as the overhead of two months, the tanks required to do this job and the work involved (including cleaning the tanks at the end of the season) would prohibitively increase the cost in a competitive market. However, we use this olive oil to feed ourselves and we do not like feeding on chemicals (even though they are obviously safe for consumption); we also sure appreciate the full flavor of unfiltered olive oil.

HarvestThis process guarantees an extra low acidity, full, rich olive oil flavor and the best nutritional value. Find anyone in this market who can claim they use the same process to produce their oil! Ask the question of whether the olive oil is filtered or unfiltered.

To prove our claims and guarantee our consistent quality year after year, we send our olive oil for analysis after every harvest season from every tank before we ship. We challenge you to find anyone that can provide documentation like this at our price point (or any price point for that matter).

We are one of the few producers that certify our olive oil every year with both the European Regulations for Biological Products and with the USDA for Organic Products. We also certify our bottling facility.

You can taste and see the quality of pure first press olive oil, when you open a bottle of Olea and dip your warm bread in it. The deep green color, the thick consistency, the pure aroma, the exquisite taste, all contribute to separate Olea from other oils in the market today.

We continue to extract our olive oil from the same trees, in the same way, with the same care for over 150 years. We invite you to experience Olea straight from the heart of Sparta and to taste the difference for yourself.